Only Human
by Josef Von Perriwinkle
Summary: Dave/Hal, Drebin/Otacon. With him gone and quiet settling in, how would he make it through?


**Title: **Only Human**  
****Pairing: **Dave/Hal, Drebin/Otacon**  
Warnings: **Slash, spoilers (but as if you didn't know - it's on the back of the goddamn PAL case)

* * *

"Hey there."

Otacon broke his gaze away from the sky, looking towards the speaker. Drebin stood, learning against the door of the Nomad, holding two cans of drink.

"Gettin' pretty chilly this time of month."

"For you, maybe." Otacon pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I guess this means you've been somewhere tropical?"

"Thailand, in fact."

"Business?"

"Vacation." Drebin threw one of the cans.

"I see." Otacon caught it, opening it carefully, and smiled a smile that would be meek if Drebin didn't know him better. That is to say, even though Mister Emmerich knew little about him, Drebin knew plenty about Mister Emmerich. In the career of gun laundering, it was wise to be a good judge of character, especially given that trade-offs were likely to be conducted with the most unsavoury sorts of people. Thankfully Mister Emmerich was nothing like that.

Snake had mentioned him, rather offhandedly. "Otacon, my partner." Drebin knew what Snake obviously meant – that is, partners in the professional sense – but he knew there was something far more there. In a word, intimacy. Emotional and sexual intimacy. It had been the most evident thing in the world to Drebin and after following Snake's progress so carefully, he could not help but wish for a happy ending for both of them.

But of course, that could never happen.

It had been six months since it had all been wrapped up nicely, all loose ends tied up. Meryl and Johnny's wedding, that cyborg, 'Raiden', reunited with his son. All this since Drebin had decided to step away from war and violence for a while. Things he knew, and maybe some things he shouldn't have known. Then, of course, Snake 'disappearing'. There was no doubt in anyone's mind what had actually happened.

"Is it nice over there? In Thailand, I mean." Otacon had broken into his thoughts.

"Well sure," Drebin replied, resting his head against the open door. "I love the heat and all. Actually, you might've liked it too. Heh, I wanted to bring something back for you, but customs wouldn't allow it through."

Otacon laughed, something Drebin had not expected. He was glad though, to see the man joyful, given what he must be going through. "I figured you'd just turn it into an apple or something."

"And accidentally take a bite out of it?" Drebin grinned widely. The two men shared a chuckle which eventually faded out into the great expanse before them. It seemed to be some sort of wasteland, empty and white, the kind of place only a few people would choose to go to for any reason. Mister Emmerich sure knew how to choose spots for his 'alone time'.

"How's the kid?"

As though Otacon had not thought that Drebin would have remembered Sunny, he looked surprised for a moment. "Sunny? She's doing well. She started school since..." His cheery disposition faded as he stopped short, trying to remember something else about that half-year ago. "Since you left. And I guess... since... you know."

Silence fell for a moment. It was somewhat awkward now that he had brought it out in the open and although Drebin didn't mind, hell, even _appreciated_ him spilling his thoughts, he had to wonder why Otacon had chosen _him_. Out of all people, a person he barely knew. And besides, wasn't Otacon the one who had told Snake to be wary of him?

"Well, it's nice to see you're not afraid to bring it up."

"Snake wouldn't have wanted me to be afraid. Heh... if I hadn't met him and if I was in this kind of situation, I probably would be."

"Sounds like quite a tale."

"I was the developer for Metal Gear Rex... something I'm not proud of."

"Snake mentioned."

Silence again, and Drebin wondered just how they had met. It sounded as though Snake had influenced Otacon considerably. He couldn't really imagine a weak, wailing Otacon, or as Otacon had mentioned before, it was more than likely that these different circumstances would have brought that side of him out.

"Snake was... we kind of raised her as our own daughter, you know? Sometimes I forgot about how much danger we were really in. It was like we were any other normal family."

Otacon shifted his can of drink from one hand to the other. "Snake... no, Dave. He never seemed like he was fond of her, but before he left, he told me to take care of her. To take care of her and never let her go. "Of course I won't," I told him. She's all I've got now."

"And you're all she's got."

Somewhere, the wind rustled through a patch of weeds.

"It broke her heart when I said he wasn't coming back."

"But she got it, right? The magnitude of what he did. She'll be able to move on."

"Of course-"

"And what about you?"

"I..."

As though being confronted with such a question – a question that seemed to put all of Otacon - no, _Hal_'s fears and sorrow in the spotlight to be scrutinised by all – tore a hole in him, a soft whimper escaped his lips as a stream of tears began flowing steadily down his face. And maybe it made Drebin a bad person, wondering if he had finally broken Hal's facade, the facade that everything was ok and that he was coping well, but after all, he was only human.

Hal quickly hid his face by turning away, wiping his tears as hurriedly as he could. But his voice still trembled as he spoke in barely a murmur.

"I... I was so sure he would come back. I woke up some nights, you know, believing he'd be beside me, or in a chair or something, cigarette in his hand or his mouth... but... wishful thinking, huh?" he chuckled sadly. "I got angry at him for leaving me behind. He knew how in love with him I was and sometimes I was – no, sometimes I _still_ get selfish and wonder why the hell _we_ had to save us all. Why couldn't it be someone else? Why did he have to leave _me_? Just for world peace?! Where's my happy ending?" Hal's voice had been rising steadily, the last sentence spoken at an almost hysterical pitch.

He turned back, eyes red and glasses slightly fogged as he sniffled, continuing. "But of course... these thoughts are useless. I should be investing my time and emotions in something... far more productive. Something happier. I should be grateful, right? Wouldn't he have wanted that?"

"Wherever he is, I'm sure he wants that for you." Drebin clapped his hand on Hal's shoulder. And Hal... Hal responded in a way that Drebin thought was so obvious and so incredibly surprising at the same time.

He was kissing him. A small kiss that seemed to spark something inside Drebin. He wasn't resisting for sure, but this turn of events was puzzling to say the least. It was all answered as Hal broke it, slumping into his arms and against his shoulder, whispering softly: "Right now, I need somebody..."

Drebin smiled, running his fingers through his hair affectionately, trying to soothe him. "I'll be here whenever you need someone. Besides... I'm sure he wouldn't hate you for this."

He felt Hal squeeze his hand in... thanks, perhaps? They both knew it had to happen in order to let this chapter fully close on their lives. Wherever Johnny, Meryl, Campbell, all the others were, Drebin wondered how they felt at this moment in time.

"Don't worry. I'm sure we all miss him."

**END**


End file.
